West Cork Arts Centre

Skibereen, IrelandCompetition - 2008

The West Cork Arts Centre WCAC will occupy a prominent site in Skibbereen on the route to the main town carpark, an area of disparate open spaces. Our proposal is for a bold civic building whose scale might unite these large public spaces. A new pedestrian route is proposed across the site binding the Arts Centre into the town fabric.

The new building is intended to have the atmosphere of a large club house rather than an elitist institution, where the fabric of the building contributes to the making of a special place. At the heart of the building would be a single, large table, acting as a catalyst for people drawn by a variety of activities to share the experience of a high quality public space. Over time we hope it might become a repository for the accumulated moods, feelings, emotions, secrets and stories of the life of the town.